Saturday, December 18, 2021 View web version
Today's Headlines
Page one

Coronavirus

Recommendation against J&J vaccine could have ripple effects

With a recommendation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that people instead choose the rival shots, experts say the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine has received a huge blow with far-reaching implications. Continue reading →

Crime & Courts

Federal marshals won’t provide a security detail for confirmed US Attorney Rachael Rollins despite recent threats against her life

Rollins has said threats against her have increased since her Senate confirmation vote earlier this month during which Republicans attacked her as a dangerous, pro-criminal prosecutor. Continue reading →

Metro

Woburn High football player endures multiple alleged assaults; parents outraged by official response

The episode is the latest in a wave of troubling alleged misconduct in Massachusetts high school sports, a string of cases that have shaken communities from Duxbury to Danvers and beyond and have seized the attention of human rights leaders and government officials. Continue reading →

A Beautiful Resistance

Finding freedom in the rhythm of dance

Black choreographers and dancers use movement to move us forward. They use dance to tell stories, evoke memories, and unite us. Continue reading →

Coronavirus

Experts worry COVID pills could hinder vaccine efforts

Doctors say the at-home treatments being considered by federal regulators aren’t a substitute for getting vaccinated. Continue reading →

The Nation

Nation

Migrants in ‘Remain in Mexico’ bemoan confusing process

The Trump-era program — formally known as Migrant Protection Protocols — returns border-crossers to Mexico to await the outcomes of their asylum claims and resumed earlier this month under court order. Continue reading →

Nation

Florida man sentenced to 5 years for attacking police, the longest Jan. 6 riot sentence yet

The man watched and cheered the Capitol riot, then moved to the front of the mob and hurled a fire extinguisher, a plank, and a long pole at officers. Continue reading →

Nation

Biden salutes Representative Clyburn and graduates at S.C. State ceremony

President Biden saluted a class of graduates at South Carolina State University on Friday and presented a diploma to one of the school’s most prominent alumni, Representative James Clyburn (D-S.C.), whose endorsement helped save Biden’s presidential bid in 2020. Continue reading →

The World

World

Russia broadens security demands from West, seeking to curb US and NATO influence on borders

The central tenets of Russia’s “sphere of influence” doctrine — including demands for an effective veto on other nations’ foreign and security policies — have repeatedly been dismissed as non-starters by NATO officials. Continue reading →

World

Over Ethiopia’s objections, UN rights body backs war monitor

The UN’s main human rights body voted Friday to create an international team of experts to boost scrutiny of rights abuses in the yearlong war between Ethiopian government forces and fighters from the country’s Tigray region. Continue reading →

World

Opposition neutralized, Hong Kong is proceeding with electoral exercise

Most of the pro-democracy opposition has been jailed under a new security law or has fled into exile. Continue reading →

Editorial & Opinion

OPINION

Dissecting Boston School Committee meetings, one podcast episode at a time

“Last Night at School Committee” is opening a new window on an often opaque public process. Continue reading →

EDITORIAL

Soldiers’ Home deaths show more clarity needed on elder abuse accountability

The attorney general’s appeal poses a critical question: Just who is accountable for criminal negligence of the elderly? Continue reading →

LETTERS

The lobstering way of life finds itself roiled by warming seas

Readers react to a two-part series on the impact of climate change on the people and industry of Vinalhaven, Maine. One writes: “I feel compassion for the lobstermen, faced with monumental changes. But my compassion does not change their choices.” Continue reading →

Metro

Metro

Woburn High football player endures multiple alleged assaults; parents outraged by official response

The episode is the latest in a wave of troubling alleged misconduct in Massachusetts high school sports, a string of cases that have shaken communities from Duxbury to Danvers and beyond and have seized the attention of human rights leaders and government officials. Continue reading →

ADRIAN WALKER

For Dave Radlo, egg controversy is personal

Radlo has spent a lot of his life thinking about eggs — specifically, Massachusetts eggs. He ran the family egg company for nearly 25 years, and was one of the pioneers of cage-free eggs. Continue reading →

Massachusetts

Heartbroken neighbors recall kindness of nurse fatally struck by car en route to work at St. Elizabeth’s

Vicky Nawn saw the news report Wednesday about the woman who’d been struck and killed outside a Boston hospital earlier that day. But it never crossed her mind that the victim was her longtime neighbor, Ann O’Flaherty, the friendly 60-something nurse with the beautiful yard who brought her cookies and wine on holidays. Continue reading →

Sports

Gary Washburn | On Basketball

Little things add up in another inconsistent effort as Celtics come up short against Warriors

The Celtics are making bad mental mistakes, and it’s coming back to haunt them. Continue reading →

On Hockey

The Bruins were destined to lose before the puck dropped Thursday, and now it’s time to shut them down for a while

The case doesn’t need to be made yet to shut down the league, but it does need to apply the same logic across the board when dealing with COVID issues. Continue reading →

Christopher L. Gasper

Credit Bill Belichick’s executive decisions, too, for the Patriots’ success this season

The single biggest reason the Patriots are sitting in the catbird seat to capture the No. 1 seed in the AFC is the considerable and palpable upgrade in talent. Continue reading →

Business

Retail

Harvard Book Store gets a new backer: John Henry

Red Sox and Boston Globe owner John Henry is investing in the Harvard Book Store, a Cambridge institution that has struggled during the pandemic. Continue reading →

Business

New utility contracts would double state’s offshore wind capacity, and bring new jobs to Somerset and Salem waterfronts

Two waterfront sites that were once home to giant coal-burning plants will soon play crucial roles in the energy grid's transition to wind power. Continue reading →

Business

More changes coming to Dorchester Ave. in South Boston

A relocated college. A life sciences lab. And a 1 million square foot development. Take a look at the seven major proposals that got the go-ahead from the Boston Planning & Development Agency Thursday night. Continue reading →

Obituaries
Arts & Lifestyle

Movies

Barack Obama shares his favorite movies of 2021, including ‘West Side Story,’ ‘The Last Duel,’ and ‘Summer of Soul’

The former president is rolling out his annual “best of” picks and on Thursday, he revealed his 14 favorite films of 2021. Continue reading →

Arts

‘Odd birds welcome’: Casting call for upcoming Annie Baker movie filming in Western Mass. next summer

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Annie Baker looks to be taking her talents to the big screen, directing a new film in Western Mass. next summer. Continue reading →

Names

The enduring legacy of Tucker, a beloved pony, from Windrush Farm

The award-winning therapy horse was 30 years old when he was laid to rest last Friday. Continue reading →